Today I corresponded with one of the most beautiful and noble women of our time. She said that she had just visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and sent photos from the museum. The objects in the photo were so perfect that I decided to learn more about this amazing temple of art.
After digging through the literature about the museum, I found out (and it impressed me) that:
The 7,500-ton lattice dome, towering over the Louvre Abu Dhabi and consisting of 7,750 aluminum stars, creates a «rain of light» effect that gently washes over 55 sparkling white buildings below (architect Jean Nouvel).
The Louvre Abu Dhabi brings together works of art from different eras and geographical regions, emphasizing the commonality of human experience. That is why it is called the world’s first universal museum.
In addition to the main alley, there are several side halls dedicated to individual artists and themes. In one of them, Rodin’s works are juxtaposed with ancient Roman sculptures, creating a unique dialogue between the epochs.
The World in Perspective Gallery offers viewers an immersion in the Renaissance through such masterpieces as The Beautiful Ferronniere (1495-1499), one of Leonardo da Vinci’s 15 surviving paintings, as well as the bronze Apollo Belvedere by Francesco Primaticcio (1541-1543) and Titian’s Venetian work The Woman with the Mirror (c. 1515).
Mark Rothko’s meditative painting is juxtaposed with a color block by Syed Haider Raza, and Alexander Calder’s mobile is placed next to the sculpture by Salua Rauda Shuker — both works explore movement and form.
The modern hall of the museum completes the exposition with Ai Weiwei’s sculpture «Sparkling Chandelier». This fountain of light (2007), designed after by Tatlin in honor of the monument to the Communist International, is both fragile and luxurious. Visually, it also resembles the Tower of Babel, a biblical myth about the division of the world into different communities with different languages.
